Regret
by kypHe
Summary: A girl with a dark past and an even darker future. As Shion grows and learns more of her heritage, she has to choose between forgiveness and hatred. Can she look beyond the actions of her family to see the bigger picture? Or will she be stuck in the past forever? /M for adult themes and violence./
1. Chapter 1

She remembered a lot as a child, but could never actually remember being a child. From the moment her memories began, it was all a blur of learning-fighting, training until she was beaten down, unable to get up, and forced to do things at the consequence of her own life. She was only four years old then. She wasn't much older, but Shion was stronger now. Running for your life for two years will do that to a person.

It was cold and she was hiding, tucked in between a large tree and a few bushes. There was no moon in the sky; it was dark, with low hanging clouds threatening rainfall at any moment. Thunder rumbled in the distance, the moisture in the air made Shion shiver, her teeth chattering. She held her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. To her right there were faint footsteps, moving slowly and precisely. They didn't want her dead… no. They wanted her back, alive and healthy, to continue their experiments.

The child of an S-rank criminal didn't get an easy life. Her genes and latent abilities were more important to them than her life. Her sanity meant nothing.

If it didn't start raining soon, they were going to find her. Maybe the chattering of her teeth or the pounding of her heart against her chest, she didn't know, but something was going to give her away before she could even get far. The weight of having to go back to that place was unbearable. It was made her angry. It wasn't fair. Her existence wasn't her fault!

"Come out, kid. We're not leaving without you." There was a brief pause. "You got nowhere else to hide girl!"

Shion held her breath, waiting-no, praying for an opportunity.

Suddenly thunder crashed overhead, and she acted without really thinking. Slapping her last paper bomb to the tree, she lurched away from the bushes just before they exploded, running at full speed towards the only place she could think of that might not torture her. Shion could see the dim glow of the village lights ahead of her, and for an instant she thought she would make it. It was so close, though still out of sight.

"Gotcha!"

Pain exploded in her arm as she hit the ground with a shriek, struggling against the massive weight that had collided with her body. It felt like all of the air was being sucked from her lungs. Shion struggled, screaming as loud as she could for help, but it only sounded like weak gasps in her ears. There was no one close enough to hear her.

And she gave up. Whatever strength she had left, she let it go. If this was going to be her fate, she would shut it out. She wouldn't allow herself to feel that pain anymore.

"Yeah, I think I heard it over hear. Sounded like a scream."

"I think you just heard it." Another voice said. They were getting close, fast. "I didn't hear anything."

"You never clean your ears. Not surprised."

"Oi!"

A man laughed, still completely unaware of the scene they were about to come upon.

"Shit, we need to get out of here. Tie her up!"

"We don't have enough time! Let's get out of here, Jin!"

Suddenly her vision was blocked by the face of a man, though it was shadowed. It was hard to make out any of his features, and that scared her even more. It was like that moment in her nightmares, where the monster hovered over her just before devouring her.

"We'll be back for you, don't think we're gonna let you go that easily."

"Hey, stop!"

Shion kept her eyes closed, ignoring the sounds of a brief struggle and small explosion. For the moment, all she could feel was the overwhelming sense of relief that she would be protected now. If these people showed her any mercy, she could have a life. She would take anything over what she'd been through.

"Hey, what's your name?" A softer voice-it was a woman. Shion opened her eyes, meeting to pools of warm brown. Her face was covered by an animal mask, but those eyes were kind. It dissolved the rest of caution, and Shion burst into tears, sobbing and reaching for the woman leaning over her. She was just a child afterall. A nameless child, hysterical and alone, lost in the forest and almost kidnapped. They had no idea what else to do except console her and bring her home.

"What do you think Lord Fifth will do with her?"

"Probably give her a warm bed and some food…" The woman said, gingerly lifting Shion into her arms. "Poor thing looks ready to pass out. She's so thin."

"How do we know this isn't a trap?"

The woman sounded exasperated when she spoke. "We don't, but think about it. That man wanted her, they were escaping when we saw them. Whoever this girl is, she's important to those men. They'll be back."

"What's your name?"

There was a long moment of silence before she could answer.

"Uchiha… Shion…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Important AN!: I'll probably update a few more times until I get the story established, and then I'll probably update a couple times a week, depending on my schedule. Adult life sucks haha. Anyway, I'm pretty into this idea, so hopefully it goes somewhere. Just wanna establish the fact that yes, Shion is young, but she has a _very_ good memory. Especially with enduring so much trauma, she'll remember a lot. She's a lot like Itachi, except she has her mother's mostly passive/extremely aggressive temperament. **

**If there are any mistakes or typos, feel free to let me know! Any critique is helpful and much appreciated.**

* * *

When she opened her eyes, the room she was in was dimly lit, the only windows covered by white curtains shut tight. Shion sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to adjust to the poor lighting. Her room was plain and white, like a hospital room but without all of the monitors and the sterile smell. It smelled sweet, like a flower she couldn't name. It reminded her of an old woman.

Shion slid out of her bed, wincing and looking down at her arm, just now realizing she was wearing a cast. She'd never needed one before, so she stared at it, turning her arm in any angle she could without causing herself unnecessary pain. It was heavy, though she felt weak, so it didn't surprise her. Without another thought, she close the distance between her and the window, peeking through the curtain only to see just about the entire village.

She stared out the window in amazement, glancing down at the occasional passersby, probably on their way to work or running some of their errands early. It looked so mundane, but she loved it. Shion looked around the window, searching for the latch, but couldn't find one. She pouted, pressing her palm against the glass, wishing it wasn't there separating her from the fresh air. The smell of her room was making her claustrophobic.

"You're awake… I'm glad. If I wasn't the one to fix you up, I would've been afraid you wouldn't. We have a lot of questions for you."

Shion jumped, whirling around, her stance switching from relaxed to defensive in less than a second. The woman standing in the doorway only smiled, watching Shion with curious eyes. She stepped further into the small room and took a seat on Shion's bed, patting the space beside her.

"You must be very hungry after sleeping for three days straight. Food is being brought up as we speak." She said, glancing at the door. "It should be here any minute. In the meantime, it's nice to meet you, Uchiha Shion. I'm Senju Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage."

Shion moved cautiously to stand beside the bed, but didn't sit down. "Are you the woman who saved me?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No. Am I similar?"

"Your eyes." Shion observed. "They're the same color, and they're just as kind."

"Well then you know that as long as I'm here, you won't be harmed. I know you have to be worried about that, but I would like to start off by saying that being the child of a criminal doesn't make you a criminal. Once we have all of our answers, you'll be released. You'll be provided with the option to change your name and a caretaker who will take care of the rest of your needs. You can think of them as your parents… for all intents and purposes." Tsunade cleared her throat. "If you cooperate."

"I will." Shion said, sitting down on the foot of her bed. "What do you want to know?"

"Did you know your father? Do you remember anything about him?"

Shion shrugged. "I'd recognize him if I saw him, but I don't remember anything specific. He was never there. I remember my mother best."

"Who is your mother?"

Shion looked away, staring out the window at the gray, blue, and pink sky. She didn't want to talk about her mother. But the world beyond that glass was begging her to. She had a choice.

"Her name was Makoto…" Shion said quietly, looking down at her hands. "I was two… maybe three when they attacked the small village we were living in. We were hiding. We had to. It seemed like everywhere we went, someone learned who I was and we were in danger again. I remember a lot." She paused and looked at Tsunade, who was listening attentively, her expression unreadable.

"It started with fires. Mama woke me up, pulling me from my bed and running outside. People were screaming and running. I remember feeling something hit my face, but we ignored it as Mama ran. There were men chasing us, howling and laughing. I remember sounds the best. We fell. They threw something or she tripped, I don't know, but they caught us. They held me up and forced me to watch them torture and kill her." Shion's voice broke, and her eyes shone with angry tears. "I couldn't recognize her when they were done."

"So Itachi left the two of you alone, knowing you would be in danger?"

Shion shrugged again. "I don't know what he was thinking. Mama didn't talk about him. I never asked, and it never came up. I knew I had a father, but after all of the running, I assumed he didn't want me. He didn't want Mama. We were his burden. His mistake."

"You don't sound like a seven year old, Shion." Tsunade remarked. "You're very mature."

"I'm seven?" Shion began counting on her fingers, her tears dissolving as her mind focused on something else. "My birthday isn't until next month."

Tsunade smiled. "As busy as I get, I may not get the chance to celebrate it with you. So I took the liberty of getting you a little cake. Of course I had no idea when your birthday was supposed to be, but I could guess your age."

The door opened just then, and a man walked in carrying a tray of food. A small cake with a single lit candle on top was the first thing Shion saw, and it set her mouth to watering. She reached for the tray as it was set before her, taking bites of everything except the cake before she could finish chewing anything.

"I think we're done for now. You've told us enough for the time being. Just eat and relax, and someone will return to help get you cleaned up. You'll be sent to your new home in a few hours. I just have a few more things to finish up." Tsunade stood and was about to leave before she was reminded of something. "Oh, right. You're name. Would you like to change it? Being an Uchiha will bring you a lot of attention. Are you prepared for that?"

Shion hesitated. "Can I keep my name?"

"Of course. It belongs to you, after all. I can't take it from you." She smiled. "I'll see you soon, Shion. Get some more rest. Today is a big day."


	3. Chapter 3

" _Mama, I'm scared."_

" _Don't be scared baby, Mama will always be here to protect you." A young woman, no older than fifteen or sixteen, with long dark hair and warm brown eyes leaned down to press a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "With my life, I will protect you, Shion."_

 _Makoto began humming then; a soft, slow lullaby as she ran her fingers through Shion's hair, comforted by the otherwise silent night. Nothing had gone wrong in a little over a month now. It felt like they could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but instead it only seemed to scare them more. At any moment, they could both be dead. Or Shion would be stolen from her._

 _That was her only fear. In her sleep, Makoto had dreamed up the worst possible ways she could die trying to save her daughter, but in the end, the scariest nightmares were the ones where she was always too late. She was the most of afraid when she wasn't strong enough and was forced to watch Shion fade into the distance, trying so hard to catch up, but getting nowhere. It would break her heart into a million pieces, and then she would wake up in tears, usually finding herself propped against the wall, sitting beside Shion's bed._

 _When Shion started snoring, that was Makoto's cue to leave the room and set about her chores. She hadn't been sleeping well, so she took naps during the day when she could and stayed awake all night to watch over her daughter. She found mundane things to do to keep her occupied, like washing the dishes, sweeping, dusting, reading. Anything to keep her mind off of the fact that eight hours had to pass before she could breathe properly again. Eight hours of feeling her heart in her throat, sweaty palms, and mild panic attacks._

 _But she didn't regret anything. Looking back, if she was given a second chance, she would have done it all exactly the same. She felt blessed and cursed at the same time. Fate had a funny way of making sure it got it's way, and she was no stranger to that. Life was cruel, but it could be merciful. And it had granted her the cruelest form of mercy. Limited yet indefinite time with Shion. Makoto knew it would come to an end one day, but she didn't know when. It was the worst form of torture for a mother._

 _Makoto paused, lowering the bowl she'd just been furiously scrubbing back into the sink and stared out the window at nothing, her eyes glazed over as she was overcome with anger and grief. "Itachi…"_

 _Her voice broke and she let go of the bowl completely, gripping the edge of the counter as she cried. How long had it been since she'd last seem him? Over a year. She still had plenty of money. That wasn't it. She missed him. It was like he'd taken a piece of her with him. She could feel that emptiness growing with every day she went without seeing him. He refused to send anything unless he delivered it physically. His own way of protecting them from a distance._

" _Oh, what the hell, girl…" Makoto muttered, scrubbing at her eyes furiously. "Get over it. Itachi isn't coming home. Not any time soon. He's a grown man, and can do whatever he wants. I can handle myself here."_

 _But she couldn't help but allow doubt to creep into her mind as she scrubbed away at the dishes. She would never be enough for Shion. Makoto had been feeling inadequate for months now. It felt like she could only ever get them so far before they were attacked again. This wasn't the life she'd pictured for her child. When she was little, she'd dreamed of a large house, a loving husband, a garden for her to tend to… a life worth living. Maybe if someone would have told her that this man would be the reason she would get none of those things, maybe she would have reconsidered it all. But love wasn't something you could just ignore._

 _Makoto liked to remember their first meeting when she felt like this. It always made her laugh, and sometimes, it even made her feel whole. At least for a little while. But not tonight. With a heavy sigh, Makoto cut the water off, dried her hands, and was about to turn in the direction of her room when a flash of orange caught her eye through the window. That's when the screaming started._

" _No." Makoto was a blur of action. She raced into Shion's room, ripping clothes out of her closet and stuffing them into the bags waiting by the door. "Shion! Shion, love, wake up please! We need to leave."_

" _Mama?" Shion sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Mama!"_

 _Makoto spun around too late-in an instant she was launched across the room and slammed against the wall. Behind the ringing in her ears, she could hear Shion's screams fading. She clammored to her feet and darted after the man who'd taken her daughter, her hands forming the signs without her even thinking about it._

" _Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu!"_

 _A massive stone wall surged up from the floor and ripped through the ceiling, effectively cutting off the man and forcing him to stop. He turned to face her, a manic gleam in his eyes._

" _Give her back and I'll kill you painlessly." Makoto said calmly, her hands poised for the next set of signs._

" _And if I don't?"_

" _Magnet Release: Conserving Bee Twin Blades!" Makoto brandished a handful of shuriken and aimed them at the man, watching with a small smile when one of them grazed his cheek, making him wince and growl in irritation._

" _You're gonna pay for that, bitch."_

" _Mama!"_

 _Makoto launched another flurry of shuriken and kunai at the man without a single worry. None of her attacks would hit Shion. Because of her magnet release style, anything she threw at the man would aim straight for him, since he'd already been grazed. Unbeknownst to him, but he was already entirely magnetised._

 _The last kunai she threw lodged itself directly between his eyebrows. The man crumpled to the ground, allowing Shion to wriggle free of his hold and run towards her mother. Shion collided with Makoto in a fit of tears, incoherently crying about never seeing her again. Makoto shushed her daughter, told her to climb onto her back, and started running. She couldn't go to Itachi's birthplace and expect to be welcomed because she had conceived his daughter. But if she could get close enough to make sure Shion was found and protected, that would be enough for her._

 _Shion would be upset, but she was a smart girl. No matter what happened tonight, Makoto could always be sure Shion was more than capable of taking care of herself, even though she was so young. Four was such a young age to act as old as she did. She played like a child, but when Makoto was serious, so was Shion. She knew when to stop playing and put her brave face on._

 _For a short while, Makoto started to feel as though she was going to get away safely. No one had stopped her escape, but it seemed that they had been waiting for her. Where she'd taken down one, there now stood ten. They were varying sizes; tall, short, skinny, fat. But they all shared that evil gleam in their eyes. They were here to steal and cause pain._

" _Let us go."_

" _We're not talking. Take the kid." The biggest of the group spoke, gesturing lazily to Shion. They all descended upon them before Makoto could blink, ripping Shion from her back and pinning her to ground, facedown._

" _Do not harm the girl, but the woman is fair game."_

" _Mama!" Shion screamed, flailing wildly against the man that held her. Her eyes were wide and terrified, her dirty face streaked with tears. She kept screaming, her eyes never leaving her mother. Makoto wanted to scream at Shion to look away, but she knew that she wouldn't listen._

 _It was the only thing Shion could see as the tiny village she'd called home so briefly faded in the distance, currently burning to ashes. Everyone dead because of her. Her mother. Mama was dead because of her. That image of her mother was burned into her brain. She could never forget. In the end, it wasn't her mother lying there anymore. It was just some faceless woman. Unrecognizable._


	4. Chapter 4

Shion wanted to run again. The muscles in her legs were tight, ready to get her anywhere but here, and fast. She looked around at the people passing her by; adults on their way in, adults on their way out, villagers milling about aimlessly… it was overwhelming all by itself. Just the thought of going in there set her heart to pounding and her palms to sweating. She wasn't just anxious, she was terrified. Shion had never been to a real school before. She'd never really had the opportunity to interact with kids her age.

"Your sensei is fully aware of your situation. He won't introduce you if you don't want to be introduced. Are you ready for this, Shion?"

She looked up at the woman. Her new _mother_. "I'm ready."

"Good luck! I hope you make a lot of friends, dear."

Shion offered her a half-hearted smile and bowed respectfully. "Thank you."

She turned away and made her way inside the Academy, looking down at the paper for her room number, scanning the signs above the doors for her classroom. When she got there, the door was already open, but when she peeked inside, only the teacher was there at his desk, busy prepping for the day. Shion knocked lightly against the doorframe, trying her best to smile and look confident.

"Um, hi. I'm Shion."

"I wasn't expecting you to be first in class." The teacher chuckled, rising from his seat. He was handsome and young, with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a long scar across the bridge of his nose. He had a bright friendly smile on his face, and when he reached for Shion's hand to shake, she barely knew what to do.

"Where do I sit?"

"Anywhere you like, but I warn you, most of the seats in the back are taken by very territorial children. But there are no assigned seats. Have you decided?"

Shion looked at him in confusion. "Decided?"

"If you want to introduce yourself."

"Oh."

Shion frowned, her brows knitting together as she thought about it. She wanted to, if she were being honest with herself. Shion wanted to pronounce her name proudly to the class. Her name was strong; it held power. But it held the wrong kind of power and she hated that. Uchiha Shion wasn't entirely proud of her name. A part of her hated that she shared his name. Loathed it, actually. He could die and she would never know. And she couldn't have cared less.

"I won't." She finally said, moving towards a seat at the front, farthest away from the door. She sat down and pulled out a notebook, doodling on the corners of all the pages aimlessly, not really paying attention to what she was doing. Shion watched as the teacher returned to his desk and his paperwork, enjoying the silence. It was comfortable, and she relished in it, knowing it would only last for a few more minutes before the other kids started streaming into the classroom. They would stare at her and talk about her before any of them decided to talk to her. This thought made her stomach turn uneasily.

If there was anything she hated, it was being watched. It was all she experienced with those horrible people. They were always testing her, watching her, talking about her. Like she was a mouse in a cage. She really had been, or it had felt that way. Everyday had been the same. Wake up, eat, perform tests and sit through experiments, eat, bathe, sleep. Repetitive. Torture. And those were the good days. The bad days were much, _much_ worse.

But she couldn't think of that right now. Shion sighed and turned her attention to the windows beside her, staring outside at the sky, trying to keep all thoughts from her mind. She was anxious and had every right to be. But there was no need to continue upsetting herself even more. She had to stay calm if today was going to go smoothly.

" _Iruka-sensei!_ " A boy's voice called out. "Akeno scratched me."

"It didn't happen in my classroom, it stays out of my classroom." Iruka rolled his eyes, though he was still smiling. He stood. "Sit down everyone. Today is a special day."

Shion's heart gave a painful lurch at his words. Would he introduce her against her wishes?

"Why is it special, Sensei?" A girl with blue hair asked, raising her hand as she spoke.

"I've decided we will be having class outside today."

Everyone began cheering. Shion sulked, lowering her head and pressing her pen against her paper harder, doodling angrily. Iruka-sensei was doing this on purpose. It would force her to get noticed and force her to interact. She'd had no intentions of doing that on her first day. He seemed like the pushy "no one gets left behind" type of person.

"We'll head out in ten minutes. I still have some things to get ready. Until then, you may talk quietly amongst yourselves."

Though he said quietly, it seemed to Shion like everyone was yelling in her ears, their voices rattling around in her head like nails in a bowl. Sharp and annoying. It was when she felt like she was going to start screaming that she felt a tap on her shoulder, making her nearly leap from her seat, her anger forgotten.

"You like to draw?"

Shion looked at her doodles, puzzled. "Um, no. Not really."

"Oh, ok. Well, I'm Ito Akeno. I've never seen you before."

Shion looked up at the girl beside her. She was bigger than Shion, but that was a given. Everyone was bigger than her, and she suspected they always would be. Akeno was taller and thicker, but nowhere near close to being fat. Her eyes were big and innocent, but they were an icy shade of blue. It made Shion feel uncomfortable. Her sandy brown hair fell to her chin, straight as a rod.

"I know." Shion didn't know what else to say, so she said nothing. She felt trapped and awkward with Akeno standing beside her, just as quiet.

A few minutes had passed before Akeno spoke. "You're very pretty. Do you look like your mom?"

"No. I look like my father."

"What's your dad's name?"

Shion gave her a sharp look. "None of your business."

Akeno looked offended. "I was only curious. You're rude."

"And you're nosy. Leave me alone."

The little girl stomped away, glancing over her shoulder with a sour look on her face, pointing and talking to her friends when she reached them. Shion huffed and slammed her pen down on her notebook, now feeling eager to get outside. She needed the fresh air desperately. She was already starting to hate it here. Or at the very least, enrolling in school was looking more and more like a mistake. Maybe Tsunade-sama would have trained her if she'd asked. But probably not.

"Alright kids, follow me."

Shion stayed in her seat until everyone had left the room, trailing a few feet behind to avoid contact with anyone. She hoped she wouldn't have to work in a group, at least today. Of course she knew that shinobi worked in groups, and teamwork was essential. But she was a student right now. She could care less about teamwork. For the moment, she just needed time to adjust. She felt so lost.

"Today we'll be sparring." Iruka-sensei said as they reached the training yard. "I will choose your partners. Let's begin."

Shion paid no attention to the other students as they fought, only worrying about when her name would get called and who she would have to fight. Akeno stood near the front with her small group, laughing and paying Shion no mind. She had yet to fight, and Shion was worried that she would have to spar with Akeno. It wasn't that she was worried about losing. She had more training at this point than any of the students standing around her. She just didn't want to be labeled, for winning or losing. She didn't want to participate.

"Shion and Genjiro, it's your turn."

Shion took a deep breath and stepped up, moving to stand in front of an average sized boy, with wild black hair and brown eyes. He had an easy smile on his face and his hands were in his pockets. His eyes scanned Shion from top to bottom and he shrugged, still smiling. It confused Shion.

"Make the Seal of Confrontation and begin."

"What's⎯"

"It's what we do before we fight." Genjiro explained before Iruka-sensei could speak. "It's like two halves of a sign for a ninjutsu." He looked to Iruka for confirmation, and he nodded encouragingly. "It means we want to fight each other."

"Very good, Genjiro." Iruka-sensei complimented.

Genjiro beamed. Shion nodded, absorbing the new information. The boy demonstrated, showing her the sign she needed to make. When she made it, he nodded once and then slid into a defensive stance.

"Come at me, New Girl."

Shion took a half step back, examining his stance, trying to find anything wrong⎯anything she could use to get an advantage, but saw nothing. So instead of giving it anymore thought, she dove in, lunging for the obvious punch and missing when he jumped to the side to dodge. Shion narrowed her eyes and lunged again, feinting to the right suddenly when he moved to dodge what he thought was going to be a left hook, her fist colliding with the side of his mouth.

Genjiro went sprawling with a surprised shout. He pulled himself to his feet, brushing his shorts off and rubbing his jaw with a grin. "It didn't hurt, but I might get a little bruise."

Shion looked to Iruka-sensei, who gestured for them to continue. She grimaced. Someone had to lose honestly or give up. With a sense of desperation, Shion dashed forward and grabbed Genjiro's arm as she passed him, swinging him around in a wide circle as she concentrated as much chakra as she possibly could to give her a little more strength, before pulling him back and tripping him. She dropped down on top of him, pinning his arms behind his back.

"Are we done?" She panted, her chest heaving with exertion. Shion still had yet to recover from everything that had been done to her.

"Yes, but first make the Seal of Reconciliation."

Shion quickly removed herself from Genjiro's back and faced him, waiting for him to tell her what to do. These were all foreign things to her.

Genjiro held out two fingers. He wasn't just smiling now, he was practically beaming. "It's like a handshake, only we only use two fingers instead of five. It's means were still friends even though we fought."

She held out her hand and they locked their fingers together, quickly letting go when it felt like he held on for too long. Shion cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very awkward where she stood. She looked at her classmates, who were all watching her with renewed curiosity. They'd all pretty much ignored her, but now they wouldn't. They would all want to know who she was, where she came from… she turned her gaze back to Genjiro, her anxiety barely concealed. He moved to return to the group, walking towards a tree nearby but still far enough away to be alone. She quickly followed him without a word, keeping her eyes down.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Genjiro asked as he leaned against the tree.

Shion shrugged. "I trained a lot growing up."

"Good enough for me. I'm Genjiro."

"Shion."

"I had fun." He said happily, looking over her shoulder to watch the next fight. "I thought I wouldn't have much of a challenge."

"You thought I was weak?"

Genjiro laughed. "Of course. Do you even realize how small you are next to everyone?"

She considered that. Shion was very small for her age, and very thin. It wasn't like she had been fed well in captivity, they didn't want her having enough energy to get away. Her escape had been a fluke; some unexpected stroke of luck she hadn't expected she'd get.

"You look familiar, too."

She spoke without thinking. "Please don't ask about my family."

He looked surprised. "I wasn't going to."

"Oh." She felt embarrassed again. "I just thought⎯"

"I'm not Akeno." He said irritably, his smile gone now. "If you don't tell me, I'm not gonna push."

"Oh." Shion shifted from one foot to the other, rubbing her neck. "I'm sorry."

His smile returned and he lightly punched her shoulder. "It's ok, I get it. Everyone has bad stuff they don't wanna talk about, right?"

Shion managed a smile, nodding a little. "Yeah."

They fell into a comfortable silence as the rest of the students finished their fights and another lesson followed. She listened attentively to Iruka-sensei, sitting cross-legged by Genjiro. They sat in their own little corner near the group, but separated themselves. Shion didn't really understand it, but she didn't fight it. Having him sitting next to her without a care, completely of unaware of the dirty looks Akeno was shooting them, made her feel relaxed. Was this what making friends felt like? Could she call Genjiro a friend?

As the school day came to a close, and Shion trailed slowly out of the Academy, she felt a sliver of happiness. She had thought it would have been a horrible day. But all the of the horrible things she'd imagined could go wrong, well only one of those things had actually happened. And all of the things she thought wouldn't happen at all, she got one of those too. Shion was so far in her own mind that she didn't even realize someone had run up behind her. The tap on her shoulder made her drop to the ground and kick out, knocking the boy to the ground with a painful sounding _thud_.

"Genjiro!" She exclaimed, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to⎯"

"It's okay, Shion." Genjiro laughed, brushing off his clothes for the second time that day. All because of her. "Wanna get something to eat? I'm starving, and I think I have enough of my allowance left for the two of us."

"I can't⎯"

"Come on! You're new, right? I can show you around a little bit. And I'm buying you food. Nothing really wrong with all of that, yeah?"

Shion bit her lip and lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, Genjiro. But I should go home. My⎯" she hesitated, the word _mom_ on the tip of her tongue. It made her eyes sting. She cleared her throat and tried again. "My mom is waiting for me at home. She probably wants to know what my first day was like."

Genjiro looked slightly disappointed, but he shrugged. "It's fine. Will you let me walk you home at least? I'll keep anyone from bothering you. Like a bodyguard." He laughed.

"I guess…"

"Alright! Let's go!"

Shion led the way, with Genjiro chatting happily beside her, clearly avoiding sensitive topics or personal questions. He talked about the school and their classmates. Genjiro wasn't smart, or so he claimed, but he'd been studying a lot recently and working hard. He'd gotten far in his training, or so he said, and he'd gotten a lot of praise from everyone for it. Everyone thought he was going to stay behind when they graduated.

He commented on her appearance once, questioning her about her short hair. Her excuse was an accident she'd had when she was younger, playing with fire and literally getting burned, ruining her hair. He didn't look convinced, but she knew she hadn't been very convincing. But he couldn't know the real story. The truth. That she had been kidnapped by evil men, shaved for their convenience, and tortured.

"Okay, this is it." Shion said abruptly, cutting off whatever he'd started talking about. He looked around at the small house and smiled a little.

"Just you and your mom?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad I met you, Shion. Let's be good friends, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, bye!"

Shion watched him leave, confusion written all over her face. But she was tired, and didn't feel like thinking about it. She didn't want to pretend everything was alright. When she walked inside, she ignored the woman in the kitchen and went straight to her room. Shion tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before she finally passed out, dreamless, long after the sun had set.


	5. Chapter 5

When Shion woke the next morning, her mind was everywhere at once. She felt exhausted though she'd gotten a full night's rest, but with everything bouncing around in her brain, her biggest headache was her father. Why was he a criminal? At first, she'd never really cared. He was free, and he was choosing to abandon them. She blamed him for her mother's death. Maybe if he'd been there he could have protected them. He would have.

She stretched and sat up, pulling herself from her bed and shuffling towards the mirror she'd hung next to her bedroom door. Her reflection stared back at her with coal black eyes, small lines beginning to form-it aged her. Shion was only six years old, nearly seven… though those lines under her eyes made her seem far beyond her age. Her sullen expression didn't help.

Her hair was cut short, though it had grown slightly in the week she'd been here. Shion could part it and brush it down now. It made her look more like a girl. Her mother always said how she looked like her father. Almost a perfect reflection of him. It made her feel shame and pride at the same time.

Shion didn't want to go to school today. She knew Genjiro would be there, and knowing she would have someone who wouldn't pry into her life made her feel a little better. But there was so much doubt in her mind; so much anger in her heart. How did she know nothing about her own family? Where were they now? Why was a woman without her name taking care of her?

Where were all of the Uchiha? Where was her family?

It was still early… the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, yet she was awake and dressed, filling her bag with everything she needed. Shion was assigning herself her own mission today. There was no need to go to school, if it took her too long. This was more important, and at this point in her training, she was learning nothing new. She desperately needed to learn something, and what she wanted to learn, the Academy couldn't teach her. But the library could.

She slung her satchel over her shoulder and hurried out of her house, her stage mom nowhere insight-probably asleep. Good.

When Shion made it to the library, she relaxed when she realized she was the only one there, aside from the man behind the desk, quietly doing paperwork. He looked up at her when she approached, looking at her with a little confusion. Why was a student here so early?

"Do you have anything on the Uchiha clan?"

"Not much. Right this way."

She followed him to a section of the library that held the general history and basic records of the different clans that lived within the village, directing her to the far corner, pointing at about eight books with the Uchiha symbol stamped on the spine.

"This is it."

Shion felt disappointment, but smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"If you need anything else, I'll be at the front."

"I should be fine." Shion turned back to the books and grabbed all of them, moving carefully with her armful of books, dropping them on the nearest table. She sat down and opened the first one, containing what looked like a history off all the clan members that had lived. She flipped through the pages slowly, looking through all the names until she found the one she was looking for.

"Uchiha Itachi…" She murmured, running her fingers over his name as her eyes scanned the page. "He had a brother?"

"Uchiha Sasuke?" She read over his information, grimacing. "Of course he's not here. Missing-nin classification."

Shion looked over all the names of her family, her close relatives that were nowhere to be found. Fugaku, Mikoto… her grandparents, her uncle-where were they now? Why was Sasuke missing? Why were her grandparents not the ones taking care of her? There were photos beside their names. Shion smiled a little at the pictures of her uncle and grandparents, thinking how much Sasuke resembled his mother. Her face was so kind, it reminded her of her own mother. It brought tears to her eyes.

She sniffled and shut the book, quickly sliding it to the side and opening another-a history of the clan itself. She skimmed through the beginning, uninterested in the past that didn't even include her father. She needed now. She needed recent. It took ages it seemed, flipping through those pages. It was the biggest of all the books, though as she read, she felt like she was still missing something. Why did this book refer to everyone as though they were all gone?

But then she found it.

"Massacre?" Her voice shook as she said that word out loud, feeling ice forming in her veins. "Uchiha Itachi killed his whole clan… _FOR WHAT?_ "

Shion glanced around, nervous her sudden outburst would make the man come back to check on her, but nobody came. The ice that had formed melted and turned to fire. She was angry. Her father had killed his family, leaving only his brother. And the only other living member wasn't here. Of course the only one that could tell her anything was nowhere to be found.

She didn't even want to read anymore. It was time to leave. Without bothering to put the books back where she found them, she left the library quickly, only barely surprised to see that the sun had risen at that moment. Shion hadn't realized how long she'd actually been there. It was time for school.

Shion was the last one in class by the time she got there, ignoring the dirty looks being thrown at her by Akeno. She didn't have the energy for it. Shion took her seat at the far front, watching Iruka-sensei teach but not really hearing him speak. She was lost in her own mind. The time seemed to fly by in a blur without her really realizing it.

Why had she come to Konoha? She felt betrayed. Her father wasn't there, her mother had told her nothing, and her uncle was missing. But he had lived here, even after the massacre. Sasuke had graduated from this school, he'd been a genin in this village. He was _here_. So where was he?

"Got a lot on your mind?"

Shion looked up from filling her bag, seeing Genjiro leaning against the desk, smiling easily. "Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

The word no was on the tip of her tongue, but she reconsidered. Seeing her hesitation, Genjiro took her bag from her and gestured for her to follow.

"Come on. I got the perfect spot to talk. It'll be just us."

"Genjiro-!"

"Come on, you wanna talk." He stopped walking, his smile gone. He was completely serious now. "Even if you feel like you shouldn't, it's written all over your face. Don't bottle it up. We're friends right?"

Shion bit her lip. "Yes."

"Then trust me."

Trust him? She hadn't learned how to trust people. Since she was born, the only one she was told that she could trust was herself. How could she trust a boy she'd only met yesterday? How could it be so easy for him to call her his friend when he didn't even know who she was?

"Okay…"

Genjiro grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him. She followed silently, feeling more lost than she had felt in a long time. What was all of this supposed to mean for her future? Would she ever get to meet her uncle? Where was he? Where was her father? Did she even want to see him again after finding out what he'd done?

Genjiro led her into the woods within the village, pulling her off the main path and deeper into the forest until they broke through the trees into a small clearing, sitting down under a large tree, patting the space beside him.

"The perfect spot to get out whatever you got on your mind." He gave her his full attention. "Let your friend Genjiro help you with anything you need help with."

Shion grimaced. "You're making me want to leave."

"Be serious, Shion. I am."

She shook her head. "I don't know where to start."

"Start with the beginning. What do I need to know to understand?"

Shion thought about that. "Maybe… maybe I should start with my name. M-my full name."

Genjiro stayed silent, patiently waiting for her to feel ready on her own. He knew it was the only way she would talk to him. He couldn't interrupt until she was finished.

"Uchiha. Uchiha Shion." She pressed her lips together, waiting for a reaction, but when she didn't get one, she glanced at him. "Nothing?"

"What?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"I-I… I don't know what I thought. I thought you would hate me."

"Why would I?"

His question threw her off. But she knew he was right. "Well, my family is dead. They were murdered by-"

"Itachi. I know the story. He killed everyone in the middle of the night and spared his only brother, then disappeared. But that's all I know. Why would I hate you for something someone else did?"

"He's my dad."

His jaw dropped. "Uchiha Itachi is your father?"

"I didn't live here. I was born in another village. My mother is from Sunagakure." She stared out into the trees, trying to remember her life before it got complicated. "He was never there. He would support us, but from a distance. We were hiding from people who, when they found out about my existence, tried to kidnap me."

There was a long moment of silence. "So that woman you live with isn't your mom?"

"Is it obvious?"

"I think whoever chose her did a good job. The both of you have similarities but… I mean, now that I know, it's obvious. But it's not to someone who doesn't know."

Shion nodded. "My mom was murdered in front of me. I was kidnapped. For four years, a lot of really bad things happened to me. But I didn't know…" She trailed off, her eyes glistening with tears. When was the last time she had actually cried?

Genjiro put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. It was meant to be comforting, but Shion tensed at the sudden intimacy, recoiling and pulling her knees against her chest. Genjiro didn't seem to mind.

"So you said your dad wasn't with you? No one told you anything about your heritage? Your history?"

She shook her head. "I understand why. I guess. Mama didn't want to scare me any more than I was already. I was being hunted before I even knew how to walk. If she had told me my dad murdered my family…" she shrugged. "I don't know. Would it have been better to know sooner?"

Shion looked to Genjiro for an answer, her coal black eyes searching his brown ones, feeling that desperation again. She was seeking answers no one could give her. Genjiro looked at a loss.

"I don't know, Shion." He looked away. "Maybe if I were your mom, I would have done the same. She was protecting you. Are you mad at her?"

"Yes. No…. I don't know!" Shion stood abruptly, pacing back and forth, her hands balled at her sides. "I'm so… lost. The only one that can answer me is missing. I can't run away to find him like I did to get here. As soon as I leave, I'm a target."

"You're a target anyway."

"You're not helping."

Genjiro chuckled and pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. "No, I guess not. But you know I'm right. Don't even think about leaving. At least not without me."

"What?"

Genjiro grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "If you ever decide to go on some crazy mission to find your uncle, don't leave without me."

"I wouldn't leave. And even if I did, I'd never take you with me. You would be killed if they found me. They _killed_ my _mother_ without a second thought. They wouldn't waste a breath on you." Shion argued, crossing her arms. "I wouldn't even consider it."

"I know you'll leave one day." Genjiro was serious again. "And when you do, just make sure you're strong enough. No matter what it is. The people hunting you, your history, your family... make sure you're stronger than all of it combined."

Shion felt moved by his words, but it mingled with confusion. "Why?"

"They'll crush you."

* * *

 **A/N: I feel like I should apologize in advance for Shion's confusing age. I'm even still nailing out the details. But the is the beginning of a time skip. The next chapter she'll be around graduation age, so like 12 years old.**


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